PRP_Piropo (2005)

This project was created for the GREC Festival in 2005. The commission of this piece was really interesting because the space they offer to my piece was PLAZA CATALUNYA and RAMBLAS (Barcelona city center). This is the heart of Barcelona tourism and a place where people from around the world walks everyday. I thought that even being such a crowded place there is sense of anonymity, but there is a manifestation (perhaps ancestral), which interferes and breaks this anonymous factor to individualize a feeling of pleasure or admiration that is directed from one unknown to another: the PIROPO. (Piropo is the word in Spanish for the action of saying a compliment to someone).

So I decided to "PIROPEAR" (to say compliments) to the people who is walking in the streets with nice and warm words, that makes their journey a bit better and to pump their self esteem.

For this I'veselected pleasant compliments, loving, friendly and fun to be placed in the city. Thinking that Barcelona is a city full of inhabitants and visitors from diverse backgrounds, nationalities and ethnicities, the compliments where recorded in several languages:Spanish, English, Catalan, Greek, Portuguese, French, Japanese, etc.

For the installation we used special Directional Sound Speakers with a sensor that were placed at the traffic lights (a place where many people congregates to cross the street) The sensor activates upon feeling the presence of people and sends the compliments. The "Piropos" were located in 8 places (pedestrian crossing on top of the traffic lights).

"Interference, interventions in the public space, Festival Greg 2005" PRP_Piropos was presented along with other pieces by artist: Jenny Holzer, Kim Yeun-Hee, Johan Lorbeer ...